SHEER HEART ATTACK

'Sheer Heart Attack' is the third studio album of Queen and that was released in 1974. It was the album that launched the band to the mainstream international popularity. Digressing from the more progressive songs featured on their first two studio albums, 'Sheer Heart Attack' featured more conventional and radio friendly songs that became more close to what would be the future classic Queen's sound. In general, it has been considered as one of the band's best works.

'Sheer Heart Attack' has thirteen tracks. The first track 'Brighton Rock' written by Brian May is a brilliant hard rock song that shows the incredible and extraordinary range of Freddie Mercury's voice. It's a brilliant song, not only in terms of song writing, but also in terms of guitar performance, where Brian May shows his skills as a great guitarist. The second track 'Killer Queen' written by Freddie Mercury is one of the songs from the album chosen to be released as a single. This is a very sophisticated and pompous art rock song with vocals and chorus astonishing. It became one of their most successful singles and also one of their best known Queen's songs. The third track 'Tenement Funster' written by Roger Taylor is a very good song where he added a bit more melody on it, than was usual in him. It's a good rock number with a heavy tune, and it's also, in my humble opinion, one of the best Roger Taylor's compositions and one who had stood better the test of time. The fourth track 'Flick Of The Wrist' written by Freddie Mercury was the song released as a double A side on their single 'Killer Queen'. It's a sensational track with excellent vocals, excellent guitar work with an inspired riff. This is, without any doubt, one of the highlights on the album. The fifth track 'Lily Of The Valley' written by Freddie Mercury is another great song on the album which completes perfectly well and nicely 'Flick Of The Wrist'. It's a very short song with a beautiful melody that skills the great capabilities of Freddie Mercury as a great songwriter. 'Flick Of The Wrist' and 'Lily Of The Valley' are two extraordinary songs where everything works perfectly well. The sixth track 'Now I'm Here' written by Brian May is a song specially noted for its hard riff and great vocal harmonies. It's a very powerful rock number with great riff, heavy beat and nice and catchy vocals. This was another song chosen by the band to be released as a single. The seventh track 'In The Lap Of The Gods' written by Freddie Mercury is a very strange piece of music with great changes on the vocals and a great piano work. I agree that this isn't a song for everybody, but I love it. The piano line all over the song is absolutely delightful and the vocal work is completely superb. The eighth track 'Stone Cold Crazy' written by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor despite being joined with 'In The Lap Of The Gods', is a totally different song. This is a heavy metal song with many and sudden musical changes and great guitar work. It's a great rock song. The ninth track 'Dear Friends' written by Brian May is a very short ballad that is, at the same time, very beautiful and very sad. This is a song only performed by piano and voice that shows perfectly well that Brian May can also compose sweet and nice ballads. The tenth track 'Misfire' was the first song written by John Deacon, the quiet member of the band. It's another short and very simple song with nice melody and rhythm. But, of course, it isn't one of the best things on the album. The eleventh track 'Bring Back That Leroy Brown' written by Freddie Mercury is another short song. It's a weird song that leads us to the 30's. It's a jazzy-fuzzy song in the vaudeville style which has never been one of my favourite songs on the album. The twelfth track 'She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettos)' written by Brian May was always one of my favourite songs from him. This is a very simple, nice and beautiful ballad sung by Brian May, almost acoustic. It's a repetitive song but it's also, at the same time, very hypnotic. This is a great song that curiously reminds me the sound of The Velvet Underground. The thirteenth and last track 'In The Lap Of The Gods'Revisited' written by Freddie Mercury is another great track on the album. We are in presence of a fabulous and wonderful song where all over the song works to the final climax of the song and of the album. This is an incredible final for the album, one of the best I've ever heard.

Conclusion: 'Sheer Heart Attack' is, without any doubt, a great album. It represented a shift in direction from Queen, away from the progressive sound of their earlier material and firmly into the rock territory. It's true that it isn't one of the most progressive albums made by them, but sincerely who cares? It has almost all what a Queen's album must have. The music on the album flows beautifully, the variety in styles is surprisingly good, it has fantastic melody moments, the band members are at their best, and finally, the production of the album is absolutely irreproachable. There are many different styles including heavy metal, hard rock, pop, Caribbean, ragtime, ballad and even progressive rock. So, despite 'Sheer Heart Attack' being not the best Queen's album, it's highly recommended. It's one of the best Queen's albums and one of my favourites. After 'Queen II' and 'A Night At The Opera' is, surely, one of their best studio works.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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